Spice support: allspice

The appropriately-named flavoring agent allspice is extremely
versatile in the kitchen, at once familiar and exotic. Most of us
are familiar with its use in the sweet side of the kitchen as part
of a melange of spices used in pumpkin pie, gingerbread, and other
sweets, but allspice is at home in savory dishes too as indexed magazine Saveur explains.

Before we dive into the many uses of allspice, a bit of history
is in order. Allspice berries are the fruit of a tropical evergreen
native to the West Indies and possibly Latin America, although
botanists are less sure about that. The Spanish name of the spice
ispimenta, which means pepper. The berries got that name because
Spanish explorers, who thought they had reached their intended
destination of the Spice Islands, mistook the berries for
peppercorns.

Allspice is mainly grown in Jamaica and other parts of the
Caribbean, with some production in South America as well. Like many
spices, allspice berries are hand-harvested. They are picked when
still green and dried, turning a reddish- to purplish-brown. The
berries contain tiny seeds, although most of the flavor is carried
in the outer "shell" of the berry.

According to The
Encyclopedia of Spices and Herbs, because the flavor of
allspice has hints of cinnamon, nutmeg, mace, and cloves, with
peppery overtones, people often mistake allspice for a blend of
spices, hence its name. You will find allspice in the baked goods
mentioned above, but in Caribbean cooking it is used more often in
savory applications such as jerk seasoning. Allspice also adds its
warm flavors to curries in northern India, to Middle Eastern stews,
and to North African tagines. It's often used in pickling and
mulled drinks as well.

Below is a small sampling of recipes where allspice plays an
important role: